


Countdown

by NeverAndAlways



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gen, Kissing, M/M, New Year's Kiss, New Years, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 17:15:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17145800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverAndAlways/pseuds/NeverAndAlways
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin. Not at all related to my other Game Grumps fics, just a bit of story I wanted to share. I won't be home for New Year's, so I'm posting it a little early.Happy New Year!





	Countdown

**Author's Note:**

> This goes well with the story, but don't play it 'till the end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-37NDoT6qI

It's that time of year again. The Grumps holiday party is in full swing; there's music playing, a little table of champagne flutes lined up for the taking, and the lights are turned down just enough to make it cozy. And at the back of the room, the New Years' ball glitters on the TV screen, waiting to drop. Ten minutes to midnight.

From his place by the door, Arin lets his gaze track across the room. There's Suzy and Barry laughing about something or other, Ross is sprawled out on the couch and taking up almost half of it, Brian is squirreled away in a corner with his nose in his phone, and the others are scattered around, just hanging out. Everyone's here.

Almost everyone.

Arin digs his phone out of his pocket to check it for the millionth time...still nothing. He doesn't know whether to be worried or angry. Dan's been in Oregon for two weeks, and he was supposed to be back tonight. He promised he'd come to the party straight from the airport, at least long enough to say hi. But there's been no sign of him. It always takes him by surprise, how much he misses Dan; makes him feel a little pathetic if he thinks about it too much. Then again, they've spent so much time together, it's no wonder they're close. But he's gotten so used to having Dan at his side, being separated is unsettling. Especially now that their relationship is...whatever it is. More than friends, at the very least.

_You're pining, Arin. Knock it off._

He sighs, stuffs his phone back in his pocket, and wanders off to the champagne table. A little alcohol can't hurt.

 

* * *

 

Five minutes to midnight. Arin's tipsy now. Or at least buzzed. Buzz _ing,_ certainly; the champagne left him with a nice hum behind his eyes. But he's managed to work himself into a bad mood regardless. He's planted himself on the quarter of the couch not occupied by Ross, and is scrolling absently through his phone while he waits.

"Hey." a voice drags him out of an article that he wasn't really reading. He looks around; Ross is sitting up.

"Where's Danny?" Ross asks. "I thought he was gonna be here."

Arin shrugs. "Yeah, so did I. Haven't heard from him since he got to the airport."

"Mm. Maybe his phone died."

Maybe.

"Three minutes!" someone calls out. All around the room, conversations die down and people begin moving toward the TV. Arin gives his phone one last glance before he tosses it on the couch and goes to join them. He's just annoyed now. Dan better not have gotten in a car crash or anything, 'cause Arin just might smack him upside the head when he gets here.  _If_ he gets here.

Matt and Ryan crowd up around him, laughing, hanging off each other. Looks like they've had a few. Barry and Suzy and Ross and Vernon and even Brian have joined the group too. The air in the room practically sparkles. That's the nice thing about working with your friends; office parties aren't nearly as awkward. On the TV screen, the New Years' ball starts its descent, and the crowd begins to cheer. It's contagious, and Arin finds himself being drawn into it in spite of his mood.

Someone starts singing  _Auld Lang Syne._ Badly. But it's the thought that counts. And what the hell, Arin chimes in.

Twenty seconds...fifteen...ten...five...someone jostles him. It's Ross; they make eye contact and Ross, grinning, nods to something over Arin's shoulder. Arin turns around. He has just enough time to register the figure standing behind him -- mop of curly hair, dark eyes, soft smile --  _Dan_ \-- before Dan is leaning toward him and there's a hand on his waist and --

And Dan kisses him. The rest of the room vanishes. Arin's head is still buzzing from the champagne and now from endorphins as well, and Dan is familiar, all around him, soft and angular at the same time and he tastes like tea and peppermint chapstick. And of-fucking- _course_  the guy is a good kisser. He draws out the kiss as long as Dan will let him and when they pull apart, he must look like a deer in the headlights. Dan takes one look at him, giggles like a goddamn teenager, and kisses him again. Then the rest of the world trickles back in. It's midnight; confetti is fluttering all around the New Years' ball. The crowd is roaring. And closer to home, there's a different kind of cheering: all eyes are on him and Dan, and people are clapping. Arin's face burns. He looks back at Dan, and is pleased to see that he's blushing too. Dan smiles his smile.

"Happy new year, Big Cat."

 

* * *

 

Later, when the party's died down a little, Dan and Arin slip away to the parking lot. It's a typical California winter night: cold, dry, and crystal-clear. There are a few stars visible through the light pollution, keeping watch. Dan and Arin both are feeling a little silly. A mix of fatigue, alcohol (on Arin's part), and one hell of an endorphin high. Arin finds an empty parking space and sits down on the concrete divider. Dan joins him.

"Sorry I was so late," he says sheepishly. Arin huffs out a laugh.

"Hey, if this is what you do when you show up, you can be late as much as you want."

Dan laughs. The machine-gun sound bounces off the pavement. 

"But seriously, what happened? You said you'd text."

"I know," Dan draws out the word. "I'm sorry. I didn't charge my phone before I left, it died halfway through the flight."

"Uh-huh." Arin smirks. Dan may be a lot of things, but he is not a good liar. "You planned the whole thing, didn't you?" there's a long silence. Dan smiles a small, tight-lipped smile and won't meet Arin's gaze.

"...Maybe?"

Now it's Arin's turn to laugh. "Asshole. I fucking knew it." he smacks Dan on the arm; Dan yelps in surprise, then dissolves into giggles of his own.

After the giggles die down, Dan sighs an apology. Arin nudges him. "Hey, I didn't say it was a bad thing." the sincerity in his voice catches Dan off-guard; he turns to look at Arin, and finds Arin looking back at him with so much openness. "I mean, as first kisses go, you could do worse," Arin continues. "and it saves us having to announce it to everyone."

"Announce what?" Dan looks cagey. In hindsight, maybe that was a bad move; he can see Arin frantically backpedaling.

"Well. You know...us." he gestures back and forth between them. "Our relationship. Being joined at the hip." he studies Dan's face, looking for confirmation. Or maybe just reassurance.

Dan smiles again. "I'm just messing with you, Big Cat. I know what you meant." Arin visibly relaxes. Then he scoots over and leans into Dan's side, and Dan settles around him without even thinking. Just like they've done a hundred thousand times on the grump couch. And it  _still_ makes Dan's heart trip over itself. Every fucking time.

"Are we, though?" Arin asks, after a few minutes have passed.

"What, joined at the hip?"

"Yeah."

Dan's smile widens into a grin. "I'd sure as hell hope so."

Arin sits up. There's an odd look in his eyes. He looks Dan up and down, as though weighing his options, and smiles mischievously. "Does that mean I can kiss you again?" Dan laughs, and Arin must take that as a yes, because the next moment, he leans in and does exactly that. His skin is cold, and his beard is a little scratchy, but he kisses like it's an opportunity he'll never have again. When he pulls away, they're both a little short of breath. Dan rests his forehead on Arin's; he's got butterflies in his stomach, like he's a freaking teenager with a crush instead of a grown man. He leans in for one more kiss, short and sweet, then they sit back.

"So how are we gonna tell the lovelies?" he asks no one in particular. Arin snorts in amusement.

"I dunno, but they're gonna be pissed that you're not on the market anymore."

Dan rolls his eyes. "Yeah...they'll get over it."

Arin leans back into Dan's side. There's that little hop-skip in his chest again. Damn, how'd he get so lucky?

"Love you." the words come out before he can stop them. For some reason he expects Arin to pull away, but he just sighs and nestles a little closer.

"Love you too."

And Dan grins like he's never going to stop. _All in all,_ he thinks, draping an arm around Arin,  _not a bad way to start the year._

 

✨✨✨✨

**Author's Note:**

> If you like the story, please leave a comment -- I'd love to hear from you!


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